Bowl Still Within Notre Dame's Grasp

November 18, 1994|By Joseph Tybor, Tribune Staff Writer.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The late-season hurdles are far different for Lou Holtz and his Fighting Irish this season than in the past.

When Notre Dame plays host to Air Force (7-3) Saturday, the Irish will be playing first for a winning season and second for a bowl bid. Both items have been taken for granted since Holtz's second ND season in 1987.

With a 5-4 record and losses in three of their last four games, the Irish can't assume a victory over Air Force, much less a romp. The Falcons have won seven in a row since starting the season with losses to Colorado State, Brigham Young and Northwestern.

As one of the founding members of the Bowl Coalition, Notre Dame is guaranteed an appearance in the Orange, the Sugar, the Cotton or the Fiesta Bowl if it wins seven games. That means it would have to beat Air Force and a hot Southern Cal team in California.

It if doesn't go to one of those four bowls, Notre Dame is prohibited by the coalition agreement from going to any other.

Under the bowl agreement, Notre Dame might still be able to make it to one of the four major bowls if it wins only one of its two remaining games. The agreement states that the Irish can play in one of those bowls if it is invited and if it chooses to go.

The Orange Bowl appears to be locked up with Big Eight winner Nebraska facing the next highest ranked team that is not committed to another major bowl. Right now, that is Miami.

There would certainly be a hue and cry if Notre Dame got a chance at a big bowl payout despite being unranked and with a 6-5 record while a ranked team with a better record was bypassed.

But Notre Dame has considerable clout. Representatives of the Fiesta, Sugar and Cotton Bowls said they would consider inviting the Irish even with a 6-5 record because of a large fan base that sells tickets and brings in a TV audience.

"They have assets they bring to the table that you can't discount in any way," said Troy Mathieu, executive director of the Sugar Bowl. "Yeah, they will get consideration."

The Sugar Bowl is committed to the winner of the Southeastern Conference, but if the winner is Florida, the likely next eligible highest-ranked team, Florida State, can opt for another bowl because the Seminoles would already have met the Gators during the regular season.

If that happens, the Irish could get consideration.

The Fiesta Bowl appears settled on Colorado, Big Eight runner-up to Nebraska, as one of its teams.

If Southern Cal wins its remaining two games, including the finale over the Irish, and finishes 9-2, it will be a favorite to meet Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. If the Trojans falter, however, the Irish could step in.

"Notre Dame being Notre Dame is always attractive every year despite its record," said Shawn Schoeffler, public relations director for the Fiesta Bowl.

The Irish have gone to the Cotton Bowl the last two seasons, but officials there, who face the prospect of Texas Tech being the host team, would consider Notre Dame one more time.

"Notre Dame is just a little bit different," said Jimmy Ray Smith, team selection chairman for the Cotton Bowl. "All the bowls view Notre Dame as a tremendous draw."

With a 6-5 record, the Irish could refuse any invitation, but the minimum $3 million draw would be difficult to turn down. Athletic Director Dick Rosenthal said any decision would be made by University President Rev. Edward Malloy and Executive Vice President Rev. E. William Beauchamp.

When asked specifically a few weeks ago whether he thinks the Irish would go at 6-5, Rosenthal replied, "My inclination would be yes."

On Thursday, he said many factors would go into a decision and added: "If somebody deems our players to be worthy to participate in a bowl, I think that certainly has to be taken into consideration."